Aaron Hernandez arrived at the University of Florida in 2007 with a few disadvantages: He was far from his home in Bristol, Conn., and was only 17 years old, having graduated early from high school. But because he played for the Florida football team, he had a powerful ally from the moment he arrived on campus: criminal defense attorney Huntley Johnson.

In addition to donating at least $4,500 to Florida's athletic fund since 2011, according to booster-club records, Johnson, a 66-year-old graduate of Florida's law school, has become the go-to attorney for Florida athletes who get into trouble with the law. Over the past two decades, the Gainesville lawyer has represented dozens of Gators players in criminal cases ranging from allegations of misdemeanor assault to felony burglary. So prevalent is Johnson at the side of accused Gators that in a 2009 article, the Orlando Sentinel described him as the football program's "defensive MVP."

ENLARGE

Aaron Hernandez played for the Gators from 2007-09.
Getty Images

Gainesville police records show that during Hernandez's three years at Florida, in which the team won a national championship, Johnson provided counsel on at least two legal matters. In April 2007, according to police records, Johnson represented Hernandez in a case in which Hernandez allegedly punched a bar manager. Because Hernandez was a juvenile, the records of that case are sealed and the resolution isn't known. Johnson also helped Hernandez deal with unpaid traffic tickets and fines totaling $696, court records show. According to the records, a final payment was sent in the spring of 2010, six days before the NFL Draft in which Hernandez was selected by the New England Patriots.

Hernandez was cut by the Patriots last month on the same day he was charged with first-degree murder in connection with the shooting death of an acquaintance. He has pleaded not guilty. In court, Hernandez's attorney has called the case weak and circumstantial.

Although records show Hernandez was a client of Johnson's, one thing remains unclear: whether Hernandez paid his legal bills, or whether Johnson represented him free of charge.

The NCAA does not expressly forbid athletes from accepting free legal representation in criminal cases. NCAA spokesman Erik Christianson said that in its interpretation of the rules, the association had determined "that outside agencies can provide pro bono legal services to student-athletes" under two conditions: that those agencies had represented other needy individuals in the past "not based on athletics criteria," and if the athlete initiated contact with the lawyer.

Johnson didn't respond to several interview requests from the Journal about his work with Florida athletes. Hernandez's current attorney, Michael Fee, declined to comment.

University of Florida spokesman Steve McClain said the school "periodically" asks local defense attorneys to confirm that they are treating the school's athletes like other clients. In 2011, according to McClain, the school sent Johnson an email asking him for written confirmation that all Florida athletes pay for the legal services he provides—and that the fees are consistent with what other clients are charged.

In his reply, which was provided by the school, Johnson said "We are aware of NCAA regulations as they relate to student-athletes and legal representation and we wish to assure you that we are in compliance with said regulations."

In interviews, two former Florida athletes who have been represented by Johnson declined to discuss the financial arrangements. A third football player contacted by the Journal said he had paid Johnson but could not recall how much.

Gainesville defense attorney Robert Rush, who knows Johnson, said the lawyer has a "big heart" and often writes off fees for regular clients. "I'm sure he treats the athletes in a similar fashion," Rush said.

Bill Barnett, an Orlando attorney and Florida football booster who specializes in defense and family law, said he doesn't know Huntley Johnson. But in the 1980s, Barnett said he represented up to five Gators players in criminal cases at no charge. "As a patriotic Gator, I helped," he said.

Barnett said he stopped representing athletes in 1990. At the time, he said, he believed his representation might cause problems with the NCAA. "I knew we shouldn't be giving special treatment to athletes," he said.

As the governing body of intercollegiate sports, the NCAA has gone to great lengths to enforce a code of amateurism that prevents players from being paid for their participation or accepting any benefit derived from their status on campus.

Josephine Potuto, a University of Nebraska law professor and the school's faculty representative to the NCAA, said: "I grant you 1000% that there are enforcement problems" with this legal representation policy. Nevertheless, she said she does not believe athletes should be denied free representation if they can't afford to pay. "The opportunity to get somebody to help should override enforcement's concerns," she said.

Johnson is not the only criminal defense attorney who has worked with numerous high-profile college athletes from the same program. Since the 1980s, Nathan Fisher of Baton Rouge, La., said he has represented more than 100 Louisiana State University athletes. In an interview, Fisher said he typically charged athletes nothing, a practice he said brought the NCAA to his door every couple of years. He said he took the cases because he liked to help students and because he believed athletes were often unfairly targeted for arrest. He also said representing athletes was good for business. "If I get a good case and it gets publicity, I'd hope people see it," Fisher said.

But in recent years, Fisher said LSU had changed its view of the practice. In August 2011, starting LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson was arrested after a bar brawl, and Fisher began representing him. Fisher said a school representative told him to stop providing free counsel to LSU players and to begin charging them his usual fee.

LSU spokesman Herb Vincent said the school believed it was in its best interests for Fisher to stop the practice.

The attorney who took over the Jefferson case, Lewis Unglesby, said LSU officials also asked him whether he was getting paid. Jefferson's family, Unglesby said, had no problem paying his regular rate, which he declined to specify but said was "a sufficient amount to where no questions would be asked." A grand jury reduced the charge from a felony to a misdemeanor and Jefferson pleaded no contest and received probation.

Last summer, after police arrested University of Georgia star running back Isaiah Crowell and charged him with two gun offenses, Atlanta lawyer Steve Sadow—who heard about the case in the media—offered to represent the player. Sadow, who has no personal connection to the school, has represented several high-profile defendants, including former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, who pleaded guilty in 2000 to obstruction of justice and served one year of probation.

Sadow said he typically requires clients to pay an up-front, nonrefundable fee of between $25,000 and $1 million, but if he sees a case he thinks he could help with, he'll take it on a pro bono basis. "It's kind of just my way of giving back," he said. Sadow agreed to represent Crowell for free. He said the charges against Crowell were dropped due to insufficient evidence.

In 2008, according to court records, Huntley Johnson represented then-Florida quarterback Cam Newton, who was charged with felony burglary for allegedly stealing a laptop. The charges were dropped after Newton completed a pretrial deferment. He eventually ended up at Auburn where he won the Heisman Trophy and a national title.

Johnson's work with Hernandez appears to have begun in 2007 with an incident that only recently came to light. According to a police report reviewed by the Journal, Hernandez allegedly punched a manager at a Gainesville bar so hard that the man's eardrum burst. Police didn't arrest Hernandez, but after reviewing the evidence, recommended a felony battery charge.

In another incident in 2007, Gainesville police sought to question Hernandez in a shooting that left two men seriously injured. Hernandez spoke briefly with police the night of the shooting, his mother told the Orlando Sentinel at the time. But nine days later, according to the investigation report, he "invoked his right to counsel" and declined another interview. He wasn't charged and the case remains open. The report didn't mention who his counsel was.

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